Wesley Snipes took the biggest gamble of his life when he started messing with the IRS in an effort to save a few million dollars in federal tax payments.

On Thursday, Snipes lost.

A federal judge has ordered the popular film star to prison to begin a 36-month sentence for tax-related crimes. Snipes was accused of trying to avoid paying more than $15 million in taxes from 1999 to 2004.

The star of 'White Men Can't Jump' and the 'Blade' series was convicted of three counts of deliberately failing to file tax returns in 2008.

After the conviction, Snipes mounted an effort for a new trial, after reports surfaced that two jurors claimed they had their minds made up that Snipes was guilty before the trial began and that prosecutors used evidence from a government witness who later pleaded guilty to fraud.

• Wesley Snipes Loses Appeal in Tax Case
• Exclusive Interview: The Return of Wesley Snipes
• Wesley Snipes Wants a New Tax Evasion Trial

Snipes could ask that the case be sent to the Supreme Court, but he would likely have to make that request from a prison cell.

Snipes is probably sorry he ever met a man named Eddie Ray Kahn, founder of American Rights Litigators. The company sold bogus tax-evasion schemes and convinced Snipes that he didn't have to pay federal income taxes.

Kahn was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Snipes is a powerful actor and a commanding presence on stage and film, but in real life, I wouldn't trust the man to come in out of the rain.

I don't care what kind of song and dance Khan did for me, I would never believe that I was given special permission not to pay taxes.

All Snipes had to do was take the file of garbage Khan gave him straight to the nearest Internal Revenue Service office and ask officials there if he could skip out on his tax bill.

After they picked themselves off the floor from laughing, I'm sure they would have been able to show Snipes several file cabinets full of people who thought they could beat paying their taxes, too.

This mess is entirely of Snipes making; he has no one else to blame.

But there might be a silver lining for him in all of this.

A few months in prison will probably give him a chance to cool his jets, write a book and find a whole new level of celebrity when he gets out.

It used to be that time in prison was a career killer for stars, but ask Michael Vick, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Lil' Kim, George Michael and any number of rappers whether going to prison is a big deal.

They would likely tell you it's just a part of living the fabulous life.